Grooved gem mount

ABSTRACT

An article of jewelry includes a gem with a face, and a groove formed along a periphery of the face. A wire may be disposed in the groove, and a hanger may be connected to the wire to suspend the gem. The hanger may be configured to maintain the orientation of the gem, for example, to maintain the face of the gem so that it is generally oriented outward from a wearer of the article of jewelry. In some embodiments, the periphery of the gem may comprise a girdle, and the groove may be formed substantially completely around the girdle.

This application claims priority from Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 60/864,407 filed Nov. 5, 2006.

BACKGROUND

One of the most common ways of displaying gemstones and pearls injewelry is in the form of a pendant suspended from a chain or earring.Most current techniques for suspending gemstones and pearls rely onconventional gemstone mounting techniques. For example, U.S. Pat. No.6,681,599 illustrates pendants in which gemstones are mounted in bezelor pronged mounts similar to those used for mounting gemstones on rings.In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,547 illustrates a pendantconfiguration in which a retaining element includes two side bars thatgrip a gemstone. These configurations utilize large amounts of preciousmetals which are becoming increasingly expensive and therefore increasethe overall cost of the jewelry. Moreover, the mounts and retainingelements cover a substantial portion of the stones, thereby diminishingthe visual impact and beauty of the gemstones.

Other techniques for suspending gemstones utilize wires wrapped aroundthe stones such as the configuration shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,830 inwhich multiple turns of wire are wrapped around the front and backsurfaces of a stone and nestled within notches cut in the side edges ofthe stone. In this configuration, however, the mounting wire is plainlyvisible regardless of the orientation of the stone and obscures thebeauty of the stone. Another example is U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. US2003/0019242 in which loops of wire are used tosuspend spherical or heart-shaped ornaments from chains. These loops,however, also obscure the ornament.

SUMMARY

Some of the inventive principles of this patent disclosure relate to anarticle of jewelry having a gem with a face, and a groove formed along aperiphery of the face. A wire may be disposed in the groove, and ahanger may be connected to the wire to suspend the gem. The hanger maybe configured to maintain the orientation of the gem, for example, tomaintain the face of the gem so that it is generally oriented outwardfrom a wearer of the article of jewelry. In some embodiments, theperiphery of the gem may comprise a girdle, and the groove may be formedsubstantially completely around the girdle.

In some embodiments, the hanger may be integral with the wire. Thehanger may comprise a bail for attaching the gem to a chain passingthrough the bail. Alternatively, the article of jewelry may comprise anearring in which the hanger may comprise an ear wire, a post, a clip, ascrew back, a lever back, etc. The wire may be wrapped completely aroundthe gem and cinched or twisted to secure the gem. The gem may be astone, a pearl, etc., and the hanger may include one or more additionalgems. The article may further include one or more additional gems orornaments attached to the hanger. The face of the gem may include atable, facets, and/or a cabochon surface. The wire may be disposed inthe groove so that it is not visible in the groove when viewed from aposition substantially perpendicular to the face.

Some additional inventive principles of this patent disclosure relate toa pendant having a gemstone with a girdle and a groove formed around thegirdle, means for suspending and orienting the gemstone and meansdisposed in the groove for fastening the gemstone to the means forsuspending and orienting. The means for suspending and orienting thegemstone comprise, for example, a bail.

Some further inventive principles of this patent disclosure relate to amethod for suspending a gem including: fitting a wire into a groovearound a girdle of the gem; and attaching the wire to a hanger. Themethod may further include maintaining the orientation of the gemrelative to the hanger.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of an article of jewelryaccording to some of the inventive principles of this patent disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a gemstone prepared for mountingaccording to some of the inventive principles of this patent disclosure.

FIGS. 4 through 6 illustrate another embodiment of a gemstone preparedfor mounting according to some of the inventive principles of thispatent disclosure.

FIGS. 7A through 7L illustrate additional embodiments of articles ofjewelry according to some of the inventive principles of this patentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates an enlarged side view of one of the articles ofjewelry illustrated in FIG. 7E.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate side and front views, respectively, of anembodiment of an article of jewelry according to some of the inventiveprinciples of this patent disclosure. The embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2includes a gemstone 10 having generally rounded front and back faces 12and 14. A groove 16 is formed all the way around the girdle of the stoneso that a flexible wire 18 can be set in the groove and drawn tight toform a secure mount for the stone. In this example, the wire is twistedto form a hanger 20 having an eye for suspending the stone from a chain,earring, etc.

The inventive principles described in this patent disclosure may provideseveral potential advantages over prior art mounting techniques. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 2, the mounting wire may be completely hiddenwhen the stone is viewed from the front or back. This may reduce thedistraction of prior art mountings and enable a jewelry designer tofully utilize the visual impact and beauty of gemstones or otherornaments. As a further example, the use of a slender wire to mount thestone may reduce the amount of precious metal or other material requiredto secure the stone, thereby reducing both the cost and weight of themount. As yet another example, the ends of the wire used in the groovemay provide an inherently useful mechanism for further processing, e.g.,it may be used to form an integral hanger for securing the stone asdiscussed above.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the stone of FIG. 1 in which the wire isremoved to better illustrate the groove. In this example, the stone isshown with faceted faces, but other types of surface treatments may beused, e.g., table, cabochon, etc.

FIGS. 4 through 6 illustrate another embodiment of a gemstone preparedfor mounting according to some of the inventive principles of thispatent disclosure. Whereas the gemstone of FIGS. 1-3 was generallyoval-shaped, the stone of FIGS. 4-6 is a pear-shaped stone with a table22 and pavilion 24. Referring to FIG. 4, the bottom of the groove isshown by broken line 26. Referring to FIG. 5, the groove has a U-shapedcross section, preferably with a semi-polished surface and eased edges28 to eliminate sharp surfaces. In one example embodiment, the groovemay be 1.5 mm wide by 1.0 mm deep to accommodate an appropriate wiregage, but other groove sizes may be utilized to accommodate variousstone sized, designs, wire materials, etc.

FIGS. 7A through 7L illustrate additional embodiments of articles ofjewelry according to some of the inventive principles of this patentdisclosure. The embodiments of FIGS. 7A through 7L are shown asearrings, but the inventive principles are applicable to pendants fornecklaces, bracelets, anklets, etc. In each embodiment, there is a leastone stone mounted with a wire set in a groove around the stone. The wireis secured by twisting, cinching, or any other suitable method ofattachment to a hanger which may be an ear wire, a post, a clip, a screwback, lever back, etc. In some embodiments, the hanger may include achain as in FIGS. 7D, 7I and 7K. In other embodiments, the hanger mayinclude a hinged connecting rod as in FIG. 7A. In other embodiments, thependant may include additional ornaments as shown in FIGS. 7B, 7C, 7E,7F, 7G and 7L, and the additional ornaments may include yet more gemswhich are also mounted using a groove and wire arrangement as shown inFIG. 7J. Moreover, an article of jewelry according to the inventiveprinciples may include more than one wire and groove mounted stonesuspended independently from a single hanger as shown in FIG. 7I.

FIG. 8 illustrates an enlarged side view of one of the earringsillustrated in FIG. 7E in which the wire 30 can be seen set in thegroove. In this embodiment, the hanger is realized with a lever-backearring, and four ornamental beads 32-38 are strung between the hangerand the gemstone.

In some embodiments, the hanger may be implemented as a bail throughwhich a chain for a necklace, bracelet, anklet, etc. may be passed. Inany of the embodiments described above or otherwise created according tothe inventive principles of this patent disclosure, the hanger may beconfigured to maintain the orientation of the gem. For example, thehanger may be configured to maintain the face of the gem so that it isgenerally oriented outward from a wearer of the article of jewelry.Referring to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the loop may be orientedas shown in FIG. 1 so that, if a necklace chain is threaded through theloop, the front or back face 12 or 14 will tend to face outward when thechain is worn around the neck. Likewise, the hanger and wirearrangements may be configured so that a face of the stone tends to faceoutward from the wearer's body as shown in most of the embodiments ofFIGS. 7A through 7L.

The inventive principles of this patent disclosure have been describedabove with reference to some specific example embodiments, but theseembodiments can be modified in arrangement and detail without departingfrom the inventive concepts. For example, the wire set into the grooveneed not be made of metal, but it can be any material that adequatelysecures the gem, e.g., a polymer such as nylon, or a stranded cord orthread. The wire need not have a generally cylindrical cross-section; itcan include any arrangement that can be set into the groove to securethe stone. Moreover, the wire need not always be completely hidden fromview from the front.

As a further example, the inventive principles of this patent disclosureapply to any gems, not just precious or semiprecious gemstones, thus itmay encompass pearls and other types of ornaments worn as jewelry. Theembodiments described above show the groove cut into the girdle of agemstone, but the groove need not be located precisely at the girdle. Itmay be located anywhere along the periphery of a face of the gem, wherethe face may be the most significant or prominent surface of an objectthat may be presented to view. In the case of a spherical or cylindricalgem, the selection of a face may be somewhat arbitrary. Moreover, it maynot be necessary for the groove to extend completely around the entirecircumference of the periphery, but just so much as is needed toadequately secure the gem.

The term chain as used above in the context of a necklace, bracelet,anklet, etc., refers not only to a series of links, but to any type ofchord, cable, etc. that may be used to secure a pendant to a wearer'sneck, wrist, etc.

Since the embodiments described above can be modified in arrangement anddetail without departing from the inventive concepts, such changes andmodifications are considered to fall within the scope of the followingclaims.

1. An article of jewelry comprising: a gem having a face and a grooveformed along a periphery of the face; a wire disposed in the groove; anda hanger connected to the wire.
 2. The article of claim 1 where thehanger is configured to maintain the orientation of the gem.
 3. Thearticle of claim 1 where the hanger is configured to maintain the faceof the gem so that it is generally oriented outward from a wearer of thearticle of jewelry.
 4. The article of claim 1 where the periphery of thegem comprises a girdle.
 5. The article of claim 1 where the groove isformed substantially completely around the girdle.
 6. The article ofclaim 1 where the hanger is integral with the wire.
 7. The article ofclaim 1 where the hanger comprises a bail.
 8. The article of claim 7further comprising a chain passing through the bail.
 9. The article ofclaim 1 where the article comprises an earring.
 10. The article of claim9 where the hanger comprises an ear wire, a post, a clip, a screw back,or a lever back.
 11. The article of claim 1 where the wire is cinched tosecure the gem.
 12. The article of claim 1 where the wire is twisted tosecure the gem.
 13. The article of claim 1 further comprising one ormore additional gems or ornaments attached to the hanger.
 14. Thearticle of claim 1 where the gem comprises a stone.
 15. The article ofclaim 1 where the face comprises a table, facets, or a cabochon surface.16. The article of claim 1 where the wire is not visible in the groovewhen viewed from a position substantially perpendicular to the face. 17.A pendant comprising: a gemstone having a girdle and a groove formedaround the girdle; means for suspending and orienting the gemstone; andmeans disposed in the groove for fastening the gemstone to the means forsuspending and orienting.
 18. The pendant of claim 17 where the meansfor suspending and orienting the gemstone comprises a bail.
 19. A methodof suspending a gem comprising: fitting a wire into a groove around agirdle of the gem; and attaching the wire to a hanger.
 20. The method ofclaim 19 further comprising maintaining the orientation of the gemrelative to the hanger.